{"id":54698,"date":"2026-02-07T15:16:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-07T15:16:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/sierra-leone\/all-news\/robotics-build-path-from-rural-kenya-to-world-stage"},"modified":"2026-02-07T15:46:20","modified_gmt":"2026-02-07T15:46:20","slug":"robotics-build-path-from-rural-kenya-to-world-stage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/sierra-leone\/all-news\/robotics-build-path-from-rural-kenya-to-world-stage","title":{"rendered":"Robotics build path from rural Kenya to world stage"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Sierra-Leone. <\/strong><\/span>Jeremiah Kithinji had never touched a computer before he finished high school. A decade later, he is teaching robotics, and even took a team of rural Kenyans to the World Robotics Olympiad in Singapore.<\/p>\n

In a classroom in Laikipia county, a sparsely populated grasslands region of northern Kenya known for its rhinos and cheetahs, pupils are busy snapping together wheels, motors and sensors to assemble a robot.<\/p>\n

Guiding them is Kithinji, 27, who runs a string of robotics clubs in the area that have taken some of his pupils far beyond the rural landscapes outside.<\/p>\n

In November, he took a team of three to Singapore for the Olympiad, where he also served as the competition’s first Kenyan judge. They presented a simulated space mission with a robot that could launch a model satellite and collect space debris.<\/p>\n

Singapore was an eye-opening experience for Kithinji, who was educated in a modest rural school without access to computers.<\/p>\n

“I felt this country is so advanced. Interacting with the people showed me how much they care about their nation, and it made me think about how I can instil the same mindset in my students,” he told AFP.<\/p>\n

Kenya has pushed science and engineering in its latest curriculum, but lacks the resources for robotics training.<\/p>\n

The clubs in Laikipia, which reach around 200 pupils, are funded by a US nonprofit, Science in a Suitcase, which helped train Kithinji and funded the trip to Singapore.<\/p>\n

They have inspired Natalia Wangari, 14.<\/p>\n

“In the future, when I become a neurosurgeon, I won’t have to perform every surgery myself. I can build a robot that acts as a doctor. I’ll just need to code it, and it will do the surgery itself,” she told AFP.<\/p>\n

ROBOTS ADAPTED TO KENYA<\/b><\/p>\n

Kithinji hopes robotics can provide solutions to some of Kenya’s specific challenges.<\/p>\n

He previously coached a team at the African Olympiad in South Africa in 2024, where they designed agricultural robots that can operate farming tools and irrigate fields, and sees particular benefits for rural hospitals — assisting in surgeries and delivering medication.<\/p>\n

He dreams of more support and collaborators to expand his robotics programme across the country.<\/p>\n

For now, his pupils are focused on winning a place at the next Olympiad, in Puerto Rico, and they are brainstorming ideas for this year’s theme: robots meet culture.<\/p>\n

But whatever happens, he is happy they are taking control of modern technology.<\/p>\n

“The skills these kids are developing, critical thinking, problem-solving and technical skills… are the future skills our country needs,” he said.<\/p>\n

“I want our kids to create the technology, not just consume it.”<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Sierra-Leone<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Sierra-Leone. Jeremiah Kithinji had never touched a computer before he finished high school. A decade later, he is teaching robotics, and even took a team of rural Kenyans to the World Robotics Olympiad in Singapore. In a classroom in Laikipia county, a sparsely populated grasslands region of northern Kenya known for its rhinos […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":54697,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,9],"tags":[292],"class_list":["post-54698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-miscellaneous","tag-sierra-leone"],"yoast_head":"\nRobotics build path from rural Kenya to world stage - Sierra Leone<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Jeremiah Kithinji had never touched a computer before he finished high school. 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